In Texas you can’t lift a fork without brisket raining down on you, à la Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs. In the trailer scene, slap a bun around that baby and you’ve got the ubiquitously uniform brisket sandwich, ready to be eaten on your way to the bar, stumbling
This was the morning where instead of discovering another great barbecue joint in Texas, Smokemaster1 and I were taking my friend Rob to the heart of barbecue country to find out what all the fuss was about. A stop at Chisholm Trail for excellent sausage and brisket but no
From the Web site of the Texas Tea Party Patriots PAC: Well respected Conservative Ken Paxton, of McKinney will announce formally he is running for Texas Speaker of the House tomorrow. Ken has over a 95% conservative record and draws support from across the State. This comes in light of
The statement: “These allegations are outrageous and I have a call into Rep. Hughes to insist that he name the individual with whom he had this alleged conversation. I did not and would never authorize, allow, or condone linking redistricting in any way with the Speaker’s race, and anyone who
No sooner had I declared that the speaker’s race appeared to be over than the Bryan Hughes letter came out: REP. BRYAN HUGHES WITHDRAWS SUPPORT FOR SPEAKER STRAUS Today after much prayer and counsel, I formally withdraw my support for Speaker Joe Straus. I do this with no malice toward
This is Michael Quinn Sullivan’s latest ploy in the speaker’s race: Good morning, More than 1,700 Texas voters have joined 120 tea party organizers, Republican leaders and conservative activists in calling for a conservative speaker of the Texas House. And the list is growing daily. The letter, copied below, is
I received this e-mail from the UT Athletic department. Dear Longhorns fan, Thank you for your continued support of UT Athletics. As a loyal Longhorn Scoreboard subscriber, we want to provide you an opportunity to purchase tickets to a remaining Texas Football game at a discount price. For a limited
A meeting is scheduled this afternoon at the building occupied by the Texas Public Policy Foundation. It is probably taking place as I write. My information is that representatives of Straus and some of his adversaries, including Michael Quinn Sullivan, are having discussions that could result in the shaping of
More heavy artillery in the speaker’s race. Berman sends an open letter to Straus. Sid Miller fires back. There is a link to both letters on the Quorum Report Web site. I am grateful to the QR for the link. I did receive a copy of Miller’s letter but not
For months prior to the election, the favorite speculation game in Austin was, What number of Republicans members would it take to undermine Joe Straus’s chances of keeping his speakership. I don’t think anyone guessed 99. But that’s the number, and the forces on the right wasted no time in
Smitty’s is just too good to dock it a star based on one mediocre visit, but this last one wasn’t up to the level I’m used to at Smitty’s. [After some poignant review of the last few visits, I must reconsider the high rating of five stars. Of
I’m surprised that Donna Howard won. Military ballots usually favor Republicans. That said, Dan Neil didn’t deserve to win. He hardly ran a campaign. I got an e-mail message about him blockwalking — in October. There is, of course, a major difference between a majority of 99-51 and one of
If I were stranded on a deserted island and could only have three foodstuffs to take with me, they would be dark chocolate, red wine, and (most importantly) cheese. So when it comes to lackluster meals, my go-to fix is simply to add one of those three. The pan’s too
In a recent post about Kay Bailey Hutchison and her future, several commenters took issue with my statement that the bailout has been a success. One of the points that I made was that TARP had made money for the government, and that Hutchison had been right to support the
The lead item in the Web site politicalwire.com today is Mark McKinnon’s column in The Daily Beast: Texas Gov. Rick Perry beat Democratic challenger Bill White, the former mayor of Houston, for an historic and unprecedented third four-year term by a whopping 13 points, a margin that surprised even his
Twenty-three Democratic senators will be up for reelection in 2012 compared to only thirteen Republicans. The conservative Web site RedState.com is looking for potential tea party targets–among the Republicans, not the Democrats. From the RedState article: As you are settling down from yesterday’s victories, you will want to also
I don’t know why I love tea so much. I think it has to do with exploring a different cultural reality than the “DWF Seeking Something Fun To Do On The Weekend Besides Go See A Movie That Everyone Saw When It Came Out” that is my current life. Anyhooo.
Everybody liked Edmund Kuempel. He never had a mean word for anybody. No one enjoyed being in the House more than he did. Longtime Capitol observers will recall the days when he went around the floor stealing kisses from women colleagues. After his heart attack in a House elevator near
She may not have been a lady who lunches in the traditional sense, but she sure knew how to lunch: The woman standing in front of me at the Peached Tortilla ordered Belgian fries and peach poppers. Granted, the hand-cut fries rocketed out of this world when combined with
This is from a Web site called Mr. Media Training blog: “2010 was supposed to be the year that attacking the media — if not ignoring it altogether — was the winning media strategy. It didn’t turn out that way. Tuesday’s election results are a vindication for media strategists
Observant readers may recall this post from last week, which ran under the headline, “For whom the bell polls:” The very last poll of the election season is the final newspapers’ poll. Perry is +12, 49% to 37%. This is less a reflection of Perry’s and White’s individual strengths and
Regrets: My fantasy for the night was that John Weems’ superior qualifications for the Railroad Commission would impress enough people for him to beat David Porter, a stealth candidate who knocked Victor Carillo out of the race in the Republican primary. Not even close. Surprise: I didn’t think Republicans could
This report is from my colleague Patricia Kilday Hart, who attended Warren Chisum’s press conference this morning: Warren Chisum, surrounded by an impressive array of dead animal heads on his basement Capitol office walls (“I still remember the looks in their eyes”) announced this morning that he was still a
There are 25, including Zedler, who withdrew his pledge. Republicans/District X = new member 2 Flynn 3 Cain X 6 Berman 7 Simpson 9 Christian 12 White X 26 Howard, Charlie 30 Morrison 45 Isaac X 61 King 66 Taylor, Van X 74 [Gallego pledged to Straus] 82 Craddick 83
These are the most amazing numbers I have ever seen. The Republicans are bombing the Democrats back to the Stone Age. Amazing stuff. Republican Charlie Garza is beating Democratic incumbent Rene Nunez in a State Board of Education race in El Paso, of all places. Seems impossible, though Nunez is
This from a Republican consultant, and it is presented as exact numbers, not an estimate. The commentary is the consultant’s, not mine: Most to least endangered list with the partisan margin after early voting: Democratic incumbents Thibaut -1,983 Maldonado -1,462 Cohen -716 (turnout so high in this district, there is
Here is what Jeb was quoted as saying in the New York Times: “The looming victories for Republican candidates next Tuesday [are] not a validation of the Republican Party at all….Instead, they reflect “a repudiation of the massive overreach” by Mr. Obama and Democrats and “disgust with the political
Craig Eiland is asking Attorney General Abbott’s opinion about whether a constituent — not Tilman Fertitta, Eiland says — can host card games at a resort. Here’s how the card room would work: The resort would provide the physical space of a card room and the dealers for the players.
The following blog article was written by Mark P. Jones of the Baker Institute at Rice University and appeared in today’s Houston Chronicle. Benchmarks for Bill White on November 2 Bill White’s overriding goal on November 2 is to be elected governor of Texas. In the event he is
This post replaces a previous version. It is based on information from one Robert Miller, with information compiled by Ryan Data & Research (see earlier post, “R analyst predicts urban tsunami”). I’ll try not to get too deep in the weeds here, but … in the earlier version, I posted
Public Policy Polling, a Democratic-leaning firm that at one time had the governor’s race as extremely competitive, says in its final poll that Perry will defeat White by 53% to 44%.
This is University of Houston professor Richard Murray’s commentary on the election. The column is called “Prof 13” because of Dr. Murray’s affiliation as Channel 13’s election analyst: Early voting is winding down today [last Thursday], so we have some hard numbers to crunch in trying to figure out
And the question on everyone’s mind is: Does TCU deserve a shot at the BCS title game?
Ornette Coleman, the Great American Peanut Butter Festival, Tommy Tune, and the 15th World Championship Ranch Rodeo . . .
As we mourn the passing of Club 21, one of the state's most beloved dance halls, remember to scoot across one of the many other historic, century-old two-stepping floors.
The Fun Fun Fun Fest, the Terlingua International Chili Championship, Stephan Pyles, and Asleep at the Wheel . . .
The Texas Rangers may not have won the World Series, but it was a year fans will never forget.
Brian Crumley hopped on a plane to Europe to find the expressive voice he thought he had lost. The photographer spent three months traveling from city to city, soul-searching. Little did he know a purchase of two scarves would forever change his life.
CBS’s 48 Hours fills in the final chapters of the notorious Matt Baker.
Wurstfest, Jean-Michel Basquiat, the Houston Rockets, and the Dallas Symphony Orchestra . . .
What’s different about this Rangers team that earned them their first trip to the World Series? Everything.
Your unofficial playbook for watching college football in Texas during the weekend of October 23.
Phil’s Texas Barbecue, Houston and Dive Coastal Cuisine, Dallas.
Dallas
The faces—and voices—of eighteen Texans who are living the debate over illegal immigration.
A trip through South Texas in search of the ghosts of borders past—and a vision for what comes next.
We invited four lawmakers who disagree vehemently on the subject and a couple of experts to keep things friendly. Pull up a chair for a round of table talk you won’t soon forget.
Van Ditthavong, David Dorado Romo, and John Phillip Santos.
Quarterback SneaksWhile Bryan Curtis’s piece on Texas quarterbacks sure got me in the mood for some pom-poms and pigskin, missing among the photos was former Stephenville High and University of Houston gunslinger Kevin Kolb [“Arms Race,” September 2010]. The Philadelphia Eagles QB certainly merits a nod over
The job of most editors, myself included, is to delight, entertain, surprise, and inform their readers. The majority of the time, when it comes to choosing a cover story, we try to keep the emphasis on the first three, since the other job of most editors, myself included, is to
